As most people can see for themselves, food carts are the latest rage in the Vancouver food scene (among other fads...). The variety, accessibility and sometimes good value (some are way overpriced) allow people to experience various types of food in one shot. Not satisfied with a filling wrap from Mangal Kiss, I made my way over to TacoFino (another recommendation by Whipping Girl) for 2nd lunch (Merry and Pippin would be proud...). Originally from Tofino, hence the name, the good folks here serve up California-style fish tacos. So for those seeking authentic Mexican fare, better best move along. For me, I don't really care, as long as it tastes good.

I went for 3 starting with the Fish Taco consisting of a piece of tempura battered ling cod with chipotle mayo, shredded cabbage and salsa fresca on a fire toasted flour tortilla. This was money. First of all, the fried fish was super crispy yet still moist and flaky inside. The crunch didn't stop there because the tortilla was crispy as well. It held up well to the ingredients. I really liked the Tuna Ta-Taco as well. There was no shortage of barely seared sesame-soy albacore tuna in a soft corn tortilla. There was a mix of wasabi-ginger mayo, shredded cabbage, mango salsa and wakame salad as well. On my first bite, I got a good hit of sesame oil from the soy as well as the wakame salad. The bits of jalapeno added a nice spicy zing. The basically rare tuna acted like a blank textural canvas for the other flavours.Lastly, I decided to try a non-fish taco being the Pork Gringa with melted cheese, sour cream and mango salsa. Although this was not bad, it paled in comparison to the 2 fish tacos. I found the meat to slightly dry. The sauce had plenty of depth, spice and flavour. And who could complain about the plethora of melted cheese? Okay, once again, Whipping Girl was right. Why do I even doubt her?The Good:- Fresh ingredients that work well with each other- Vibrant flavours and texturesThe Bad:- A little pricey for the size, but then again, every other food cart is charging more

4
comments:

Have you been to Tacofino Commissary? If not, you should definitely go - they've got a large variety of dishes not available at the food cart, and it's delicious! Also love the atmosphere. Get the peanut butter pretzel ice cream for dessert...even if you're not into sweets. ;)